How many calories are you drinking in your daily cup? - Emily Skye

How many calories are you drinking in your daily cup?

I absolutely love coffee and in the right quantity it’s actually good for you! In fact, the caffeine in coffee can boost your metabolism and help your body burn fat. However, I see a lot of women drinking a tonne of coffee and not thinking about those extra calories they consume – the added sugar, creamer, milk and any of those sweet flavours and syrups add hundreds of calories to your beverage!

On my F.I.T. programs, I recommend drinking 1 cup of black coffee per day (before midday) and then using an all natural low-calorie sweetener if you need. Only full fat or almond milk if you want it creamy. If you are someone who has more than one cup a day, it’s also important to include your coffee into your daily energy intake to make sure you aren't ruining your results.To give you an idea of the difference between coffee drinks have a look at the details below. Now these are estimated from my Fitness Pal, and calorie content will vary depending on brands of milk and also if you add in sweetener or flavourings these calories will go up even higher etc.

Approximate calories in coffee (based on 300 MLS)

INSTANT
full-cream milk = 20 calories
skim milk = 18 calories

CAFÉ LATTE
full-cream milk = 170 calories
skim milk = 110 calories

FLAT WHITE
full-cream milk = 180 calories
skim milk = 100 calories

MOCHA
full-cream milk = 220 calories
skim milk = 150 calories

CHOCOLATE FRAPPE LATTE
= 315 calories (more than a chocolate bar)

CAPPUCCINO
full-cream milk = 175 calories
skim milk = 100 calories

As you can see, a cup of coffee can quite easily turn into the equivalent of eating an extra snack and if you have more than one, it can even be the equivalent of eating an extra meal a day. I’m all about creating balance so I don’t want to tell you to give up your favourite drink, however it is important to be aware of how many extra calories you could be consuming without even realising. So, if you do love those super sweet caramel lattes, treat it like you would any treat and have every now and again. Then stick to regular coffee for your regular pick me up.